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Aikido'Ka

Grass Valley's Family Martial Arts School -- Focus, Fitness & Fun

Moriteru Ueshiba

Feb 25 2014

For Real Success, Embrace Your Failures

Failure is the key to success

Failure is the key to success; each mistake teaches us something.

O’Sensei Morihei Uehsiba, Founder of Aikido

When practicing aikido, or any other martial art, we often focus on over coming our attacker. We want to succeed at the technique we’re practicing. And we want to throw — with power! While this makes sense, in a lot of ways, it’s misguided.

Yes, we should practice our techniques carefully to improve our skills. Perfect practice makes perfect, after all. But our learning mostly doesn’t come from getting things right. Getting a technique or movement correct, doesn’t teach us how to improve ourselves. Getting the technique right simply confirms that we understand what’s going on to a certain extent. While that’s certainly valuable, it’s not learning something new.

We start learning new things when we fail. Making mistakes gives us the opportunity to change our behavior and adjust our understandings to more accurately conform to reality. We can then adjust our movements and techniques to refine them so that they work better.

Do your utmost best. Then embrace your failures. Doing so will speed up your learning and make every aspect of training more fun.

In this way, aikido practice is different than school. In school, you are supposed to get everything right. Your grades reflect how correct your answers have been in homework, tests and class participation. If you make a mistake in front of class, that’s an opportunity for humiliation. Mistakes are frowned upon. In school, failure is as bad as it gets.

At the dojo, we support and learn from each other. We all make mistakes regularly and help each other overcome those mistakes. We get in front of class and show how we’re having difficulties and we turn those failures into learning. We embrace our mistakes and use them for self-improvement. And fun.

Written by Frank Bloksberg · Categorized: O'Sensei Morihei Ueshiba, Respect, Self-improvement, Training · Tagged: failure, Moriteru Ueshiba, O'Sensei Quotes, self-improvement, success

Sep 15 2013

Conversation with Linda Holiday Sensei

Journey to the Heart of Aikido - The Teaching of Motomichi Anno Sensei
Journey to the Heart of Aikido – The Teachings of Motomichi Anno Sensei by Linda Holiday Sensei

On September 10, 2013, Linda Holiday and I talked about her new book with Anno Sensei. The book is entitled Journey to the Heart of Aikido, The Teachings of Motomichi Anno Sensei.

Linda Holiday is 6th Dan and Chief Instructor of Aikido of Santa Cruz. Motomichi Anno Sensei is 8th dan, former chief instructor of Kumano Juku Dojo, and a direct student of Morihei Ueshiba O-Sensei.

Linda Holiday Sensei has known Anno Sensei for 40 years. She worked on this book for the last 14 years. To say that Linda Sensei made a serious effort to share the deep concepts of aikido would be an incredible understatement. The book is a testament to her love of aikido and her real commitment to spreading the art. And she succeeds in her effort.

“The purpose of Aikido is not to create opponents or to engage in win-lose competitions with others. It is a way to develop the heart: to cultivate, together with others, a heart of harmony, a heart of love, and a heart of gratitude. The true purpose of Aikido is to make a contribution to the world with this spirit.” Motomichi Anno Sensei

Let me point this simply: If you are a student of aikido — particularly a serious student — you need to read this book.

Please order the book through Linda Sensei’s website at JourneyToAikido.com.

Linda Holiday Sensei
Linda Holiday Sensei

 

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Written by Frank Bloksberg · Categorized: O'Sensei Morihei Ueshiba, Webinars · Tagged: Journey to the Heart of Aikido, Linda Holiday Sensei, Moriteru Ueshiba, webinars

May 26 2012

Doshu Moriteru Ueshiba at Today’s All-Japan Aikido Demonstration

Here’s video taken today of Doshu Moriteru Ueshiba at the All Japan Aikido Demonstration. Doshu is O’Sensei Moriteru Ueshiba’s grandson and is the worldwide head of aikido.

This is a beautiful demonstration  — flowing, graceful and powerful. It’s also a classic demonstration, in that Doshu shows variations on basic techniques. He shows the oldies, but goodies. Just beautiful.

A favorite part for me is when Doshu shows a technique open hand and with a jo. He does this while holding the jo in one hand.

This video is a must watch for all aikido students.

In case you don’t already know this, Doshu is the head of the Aikikai Foundation, aikido world headquarters. The Foundation is the organization which continues the founder’s martial art. The founder, of course, was Morihei Ueshiba. When he died in 1969, his son Kisshomaru Ueshiba took over. When he died in 1999, O’Sensei’s grandson took over.

This an annual event for the Foundation. 2012 is the 50th time the event was held. People travel from around the world to attend.

I’d love to see your comments on the video.

Written by Frank Bloksberg · Categorized: Videos · Tagged: All Japan Demonstration, doshu, Moriteru Ueshiba

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